Riders’ union asks for share in weather surcharge

By Rose de la Cruz

Food or grocery deliveries reach their peak during weather disturbances like typhoons and floods and this is when food companies jack up their prices, imposing a weather surcharge, which the companies and Grab share, but never the riders.

Because of this, the National Union of Food Delivery Riders said companies must give them a cut of the surcharge the sellers collect during inclement weather.

“Companies are charging way higher during bad weather, but these surcharges do not benefit the riders, they go solely to the companies. Many customers think they are paying more so the riders receive higher earnings, but it is not true,” said union spokesman John Jay P. Chan to Business World.

He said that during harsh conditions, riders must contend with flood risk, added costs due to rerouting, and the slowdown in the pace of deliveries.

Despite this, riders are still inclined to accept bookings because of their personal needs to feed their own families. Their demand is but fair as they are the ones exposed to such hazards and their bikes might conk out in the process or they could fall off because of slippery roads.

Grab Philippines gave a motherhood statement to the paper, saying “rider safety is a top concern.”

“We have taken proactive steps to communicate with our delivery partners through online channels and in-app notifications, advising them to avoid flooded areas. We strongly emphasize that their safety should always come first,” its statement Wednesday said. But does it give the riders incentives for taking such risks?

“Grab stands prepared with its calamity-assistance program, specifically designed to support our driver- and delivery-partners who have been severely affected by natural disasters such as typhoons — reinforcing our commitment to protect their welfare during these challenging times,” the statement added.

Chan urged Grab to implement a standard fare matrix to help riders like him during harsh weather.A social media post recently showed a Grab food delivery rider plodding through flooded streets with the post urging consumers to avoid ordering food delivery during bad weather.

Chan said riders are exploited because they have no benefits or protections under current labor rules since as Grab said, riders are not their employees. But they have freedom to accept or reject bookings. However, the company claimed it offers social protection benefits to riders.

“Grab has long-standing partnerships with [the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), and Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG)]. They have booths in our Grab Partner Center in Marikina to encourage our delivery- and driver-partners to register and contribute,” Grab told the paper.

Super typhoon CarinaPH (international name: Gaemi) brought floods for three days in several parts of the metropolis and surrounding areas with the enhanced force of habagat. Thus, NCR was declared a state of calamity last Wednesday..

The super typhoon disrupted nearly a million people or 180,000 families of which 35,000 or 8,320 families had to be relocated to evacuation centers.